A She Wolf in Konoha
by Aleka446
Summary: Who's Tala? She's mean. She's cold-blooded. Most of all, she's hurt. Who's Yamato? He's calm. He's charming. Most of all, he's lonely. Together, they might just make it. YamatoxOC; TenzoxOC; Minor KakashixOC R
1. A Ramen Conversation

A She-Wolf in Konoha

Chapter one

Hey! I wanted to suddenly create a YamatoxOC! I know, I'm weird. But still, ever since I wrote 'Someday' (it's supposed to be tragedy, but that is NOT my thing) I've wanted to have Tala (the OC there) and Yamato get together. Okay, that sounded weird. I hope you like!

~A Ramen Conversation~

"Okay, so you're Yamato."

A woman about twenty-five leaned on her elbows, impatiently pushing some of her curly shoulder-length black hair behind her shoulder. One eyebrow was raised and her strange red eyes were peircing.

She was clothed simply. She had a white tank top on her upper half along with purple capris. Silver belts wrapped around her small waist and she had a tanto on her back. There was a single tattoo in white on her shoulder. It was a wolf, but no one ever noticed it because they stopped looking when they met her eyes.

Except for Yamato. His crystal-clear gaze never wavered from the woman. Kakashi looked at the female Jounin and said quickly, "Yes, he's Yamato. Why don't you introduce yourself, Tala?" Her gaze moved from the brown-haired man to the man standing in the corner.

"I'm Hirotchi Tala. My name means wolf."

There was nothing after that. She waited for Yamato's response and he said, "I'd like to know a little more." She sighed and rolled her eyes like it was some big deal. "I don't like drinking, dancing, or work in general," she told him. "I like ice cream, sharp stick," -she pulled out a kunai- "and sharper stick." Then she drew her tanto.

"I also like a third kind of unnamed stick, but that will, of course, go unnamed."

'Oh dear God,' Kakashi thought. He had known Tala for quite a long time, but she had never really opened up to anyone. Not after Hinkoro. He sighed and said, "Tala, I need to speak to Yamato alone." She shrugged. "Whatever. And you, Limberjack," she said. "Peace."

As she left the room, she pulled at her clothes. Tala wasn't anyone special. She was just a regular kunoichi. She was only friendly if she wanted to be. And she never wore a jounin vest. Ever.

See, when she had been offered one, Tala had stated, "Screw this vest! It's not my style!" She was an actress. Not professional, but it was her dream. With a sigh, she opened her apartment door and walked in, shutting and locking the door behind her.

Her apartment was simple and comfortable. She plopped on the couch, adjusting her forehead protector more comfortably in her hair. Sunlight fell on it, making it glint. She shifted to her side and thought about Yamato. Kakashi had forced them to meet, and damn... that's all she had to say. The man was cute.

Yet, there was a reason she didn't trust cute men. Not yet, anyway. Hinkoro had hurt her too much for that. With a sigh, she stretched her legs out and closed her eyes, but not before a thirteen-year-old girl jumped through the window and started shouting her name. 'Oh, damn,' thought Tala as she realized she had not closed and locked the window.

"Tala! Tala! I just graduated from the academy!"

"Congrats, Kiela."

"What did you do when you graduated from the academy?"

"I went home, ate a snack, told Mom how my day went, and fell asleep."

Her younger sister giggled. "We should go out to Ichiraku's," the girl said. She was like a shorter, flatter version of Tala, only with golden eyes. The woman groaned as her arm was tugged before she sat up and said, "Alright! I'll take you out to eat. Not Ichiraku's, though. I've had enough ramen there."

"I'm the girl who's a graduate. I get to choose where we eat."

Tala sighed and her sister proceeded to drag her to the restaurant. As they sat down and ordered, a blond boy with whisker-like markings on his face was proclaiming, "I wonder who'll teach me if Kakashi-sensei is on a mission." She looked over and thought, 'That must be Team Seven. Well, well, well.'

Her thoughts stopped when the brown-haired man beside her bumped her shoulder with his own, thanks to the blond boy shoving a pale boy into him. "Sorry," he grunted. Tala, however, just said, "Yamato." His black eyes snapped back around to meet her ruby gaze. They had a sort of staring contest before he said, "Tala."

Then, since they didn't know what else to do, they started speaking about the ramen. "Who're you with?" the man asked her as their food was set in front of them. "Kiela. My sister," explained Tala, motioning at the happily chewing girl. "I'm here with Kakashi-semai's team," he replied. Tala shook her head. "Are they a bunch of brats?"

"No. We have our ups and downs, but all in all, they're an excellent team."

"Kakashi did well."

"Hm."

There was a bit of silence before Tala said, "So... the tip of the elbow is called the olecranon." Yamato raised an eyebrow and she blushed. 'Good going, Tala. Now you look like an idiot.' The man didn't say anything about how odd that was, though. He simply stated, "I didn't know that."

Suddenly, there was a tug on the raven-haired woman's hand. "Tala, I'm tired and I wanna go home," the girl said, leaning on her arm. Tala grinned and shook her head at Yamato, who smiled back. "Alright, Kiela. Well, it was nice speaking with you."

"You, too."

"Um, right. Bye."

"Bye."

She gave him the peace sign and, takin her sister's hand, led her back to their parent's house. "Don't you want to come inside?" Kiela asked. "No. In fact, I never want to see our parents again." The girl fell silent before nodding and climbing up the porch steps. Tala, feeling guilty, called her sister's name.

The thirteen-year-old turned and Tala smiled. "Love you." Kiela smiled back. "Love you, too." The girl headed inside the house and her older sister turned away, placing a hand on her stomach guiltily as she walked into the sunset.

. . .

Okay then! There's the first chapter! I know you have a ton of questions, but everything will be explained later. I hope you liked!

Based off of 'Someday'. (My Yamato 'tragedy' fic.)

Fun fact!

The name 'Tala' means wolf. Not in any particular language, but that's what it means.


	2. Tala's Other Side

A She-Wolf in Konoha

Chapter two

No one likie? Make me sad. I'm still posting another chapter, though, because that's just what you do. Plus, I couldn't stop writing! I already have a plan for how this is gonna end! 'Kay, enjoy this chapter!

~Tala's Other Side~

Yamato sighed as he got out of bed to get a drink of water. "Damn air. Why is it dry?" he asked himself. As he sat down with the water in his hand. It was about one A.M. "Well, Tenzo. Why're you up so late?" asked a familiar voice. He jumped and turned to look at the silver-haired shinobi. "Kakashi-sempai. I didn't see you there," he said.

"Obviously."

There was a bit of silence before Yamato said, "What's wrong with Tala? She seems to want to make friends but won't." Kakashi grinned. "That's who you're thinking about."

"Not like that!"

A chuckle. "It's a long story."

"I've got time."

The man settled down into a chair across the table. "Tala used to be very friendly and open. She was friends with basically everyone." Yamato's eyebrows raised. "Tala? Friends with everyone?"

"No everyone. But lots of people. She could make anyone laugh. That was, until Hinkoro came along."

. . .

A seventeen-year-old was reading. Her peer, a boy with silver hair and a mask, asked, "How can you read that?" She looked over the top of it and stuck her tongue out. "Well, some people use their imagination," she said, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"So dirty."

"Stuff it, Kakashi."

"Make me, Tala."

She grabbed her tanto but froze suddenly. An absolutely gorgeous boy was making his way over there. Moving his light brown hair out of his grey-blue eyes, he said to her, "Hello. I'm Hinkoro." She blushed, hand moving from the handle of her tanto to slid into his. Kakashi glared at him out of the corner of his eye, but didn't stop the exchange.

Later, he would learn to regret that.

. . .

Tala swore, Hinkoro was perfect. He could flirt and not make her feel awkward or embarrassed. He had money and spoiled her. She didn't want to admit it, but she liked the way he spoiled her. One night, he picked her up for a date.

"Where're we going?" she asked as his fingers laced with hers. He grinned but didn't answer. Hinkoro picked her up bridal-style and a few moments later they landed on a rooftop. "See?" he said as fireworks shot into the sky. She watched them joyfully, grinning, but Hinkoro was watching her.

Tala looked over and his lips claimed hers roughly. She was surprised at the roughness and how desperate he seemed. "Hinkoro," she said, but he was already moving on. And she was letting him.

. . .

The next day, Tala tried to talk to Hinkoro. He was with his friends and his arm was around another girl's shoulders. She froze and he looked over. "Hinkoro... what..."

"Do I know you?"

Tala gasped and her eyes filled with water. Then she turned away, putting her hands to her face and sobbing. "Poor girl," commented Hinkoro as he adjusted his arm around his new lover's shoulders. "Just another fangirl," she murmured huskily, not knowing what she was getting herself into.

As Tala collapsed against a tree, she pressed her hands against the bark and wailed again. Only this time, someone's hand was resting on her back. "Tala, what's wrong?" Kakashi asked gently. She whimpered an inaudible mess until whispering the story.

"Oh, Tala. I should've told you that he did that," Kakashi sighed. Her head snapped up and around. "You... You knew this would happen?" He sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Kind of-"

Smack!

She was gone before he had time to react. The slap hadn't hurt because of his mask and because she hadn't put much effort in it. Kakashi lifted a hand to his masked cheek and sighed sadly. 'I'm sorry, Tala. I didn't mean for it to go this far.'

Tala, however, was in her room, her mother comforting her and caressing her hair.

. . .

The teen stared at the blue plus in horror. That one night had probably ruined her whole life. She left the pregnancy test on the counter and left the bathroom. "Well?" her mother asked, Tala's five-year-old sister clutching her hand. Tala modded and her mother sighed. "Oh, Tala," she said, dropping Kiela's hand and holding her.

"Mom, I want to get an abortion."

"Absolutely not! We do not believe in killing innocent lives!"

Tala pushed her away and went to her bedroom, mind already made up. Her mother was a firm abortion opposer. But her mother didn't have her whole life ahead of her. Tala looked over at the calendar and sighed. Two weeks until he eighteenth birthday. Her mother couldn't control her then.

. . .

"You're sure?"

"Yes. Just do it."

The doctor injected something into her and she felt a burning sensation. After awhile, it stopped. "Alright," said the doctor. "Bye," Tala muttered back, leaving there with the knowledge of what was coming when she got home.

But then, as she was walking up the stairs, something hit home.

'I... I just murdered my own child!'

Tala turned and ran back thought Konoha, ignoring people's stares. When she arrived at the spot where they had watched the fireworks, she leapt up to the spot and curled up, her bottom lip trembling. After that, the eighteen-year-old fell into a dreamless sleep.

. . .

"What happened when she returned home after that?" Yamato asked, showing no emotion on his face. "Well," Kakashi said, "She returned home and got into a huge argument with her parents. They disowned her and now she refuses to even acknowledge they exist."

"And Tala, herself?"

"She changed. Didn't trust men after that. Well, actually, she didn't trust anybody. But men are different. I was surprised she didn't punch you when you looked her over this morning. Tala must've taken a liking to you."

Yamato shook his head. "Sempai, don't be ridiculous. If it's you and me in the same room, a woman's going to choose you." Kakashi chuckled and stood up. "I'll have to see you later, Tenzo. I have a mission to go to. And by the way-" Yamato looked at the silver-haired shinobi. "Don't try to be nice to Tala if you want her to trust you. She'll just claim that you want her in bed. Trust me, I know from experience."

Yamato nodded as Kakashi left. 'Still,' he thought, going back into his bedroom. 'I'd like to see Tala's other side.'

. . .

Okay, mostly an explaining chapter. I DUN LIKE IT! It sucks, and that's putting it bluntly. Still, don't flame and let me know why I don't like it. It's just too... I dunno.

Well. Please review anyway.


	3. We Just Keep Running Into Each Other!

A She-Wolf in Konoha

Chapter three

Thank you botskey! I know I asked you to, but they were wonderful reviews! Hope you enjoy chapter three!

~We Just Keep Running Into Each Other!~

Tala ran right into Yamato the next day. "Wow. We just can't stop this, can't we?" Tala asked with a sigh, blowing some hair out of her face. He smiled and said, "It seems that way." They stood there in a awkward silence before she said, "I gotta go... I'm running off in some other direction." He chuckled and, as she began jogging off, called, "Goodbye, Tala. I hope to see you at the Konoha festival."

She turned, but Yamato had already disappeared. 'Yeah,' she thought. 'I hope to see you there, too.' As she walked through Konoha, a familiar female voice called, "Tala!"

She turned to see a tall blond with bright green eyes. Grudgingly, the ruby-eyed woman let the other embrace her. "Yoili. It's been forever," Tala told her. "It has! So, how's my cousin doing?" asked Yoili. The two hadn't seen each other since Tala was eleven. Yoili was twenty-eight, happy, and perfect.

"Not so good..."

"Huh?"

"C'mon. I have a lot to tell you."

. . .

"Oh..." Yoili gaped at her cousin, beautiful eyes pooling with unshed tears. "I'm sorry!" she wailed, throwing her arms around Tala, pulling her into another crunching hug. 'Yoili... You're still mushy,' she thought affectionately as she pushed her cousin off of her.

"But, Tala," said Yoili. "Mmhm?" Tala asked, making her way to a dango cart. "We're still friends, though, right?" Tala threw her some of the sweets. "Of course. If I can't trust my cousin, I can't trust anybody!" The blond laughed and ran to her side, taking her hand and pulling her around Konoha.

Suddenly, Yoili stopped abruptly. "Oh my God... Oh my God..." she whimpered, her grip tightening on Tala's hand. "Is that Hinkoro?" The twenty-five-year-old tensed before following her cousin's finger. It was pointed at a silver-haired man. "Oh, goodness no," said Tala. "That's Kakashi."

"Sharingan Kakashi? The copy-nin?"

Yoili seemed entranced. "But you said Hinkoro is gorgeous." Tala nodded, reflecting back on her teenage years. "He most definitely is. But Kakashi's... fine, I suppose." Yoili looked at her.

"I don't trust men in general, remember."

"Oh. Right."

Tala smiled at her before turning. Something solid was there and she ran right into it. "Ow... Damned building..." she muttered, stepping back before realizing who's chest she had run into.

The brown-haired man was blushing bright red. Kakashi had looked up from his book with a raised eyebrow. Yoili was giggling madly. "Tala," Yamato managed to choke out. She could feel her face burning, but not from anger.

'Oh, my God... Am I FLUSTERED?'

Now her face was burning with anger, but it was directed at herself. Yamato took a step back as the kunoichi's fist clenched and Kakashi put his book away and got ready to rush over in cause anything bad happened. Suddenly, the woman breathed out and opened her eyes, scratching the back of her head sheepishly.

"Sorry 'bout that... heh..."

Yamato silently sighed in relief. "No problem. It was partially my fault."

Her eyes opened in surprise and she opened her mouth to ask how it had been his fault, but Yoili, who was now nervous, dragged her off. As she was being pulled in another direction, she looked back at him. Their eyes met for one second before she looked back around, a small smile gracing her lips.

"I think he likes you!"

"Huh?"

Yoili pulled her onto a bench. "That brown-haired man! I think he likes you!" Tala raised an eyebrow. "Yamato? No way! I mean, we barely know each other!" The blond clapped her petite hands together and giggled, "It doesn't take much to start a crush!"

"But I'm not the type of person someone 'crushes' on! I mean, he thinks I'm a bitch!" Tala protested. Yoili chuckled. "Maybe. I've gotta get to my apartment! Spending most of your life in Suna and then moving back to Konoha is tiring," she sighed, running her fingers through her hair.

Tala smiled as she looked at the sky, which had turned a purplish-blue color. She moved off the bench and walked past a 24-hour convince store. A familiar man was making his way out there. "Kakashi!" she called, involuntarily. He blinked, almost dropping the gallon of milk he had. She found herself walking over there. "Well, Tala. It's nice to see you," he said awkwardly.

"Yup. I was just wondering... WillYamatobeatthefestival?"

"... Huh?"

"Will, umm... Yamato be at the festival?"

The man raised his eyebrows and she shook her head. "Never mind. Bye." The woman turned on her heel and was a few feet away when Kakashi said, "Interesting enough, he asked the same about you. I think he might be there... if you invite him." She turned, but the copy-nin had disappeared. Tala went back to her apartment and curled up on her side, smiling.

'I can't believe that Yamato is asking about ME. I'm no one special.' Her red eyes closed and she curled up on her side, yawning and shifting more comfortably into the matress. 'Thank you, Kakashi.'

. . .

"She asked about you."

"She did?"

Yamato blushed before saying, "Who did?" Kakashi chuckled. "Tala. She wondered if you were going to the festival." Yamato nodded and Kakashi chuckled. "I never pegged you as a Tala-type guy. I mean, no one's a Tala-type guy, but out of all people."

"Jealous, Sempai?"

"With Tala? Ehhh... No."

Yamato chortled and Kakashi sighed. "Don't get your hopes up. She's not going to be easy to befriend." He shrugged his broad shoulders. "I'm willing to try."

. . .

The next morning, Keila visited her again.

At five fricken' A.M. in the morning.

"Dammit, Kiela... go away!"

The thirteen-year-old pouted, her constant tugging ceasing for a moment. "But I want you to come outside! If you're a ninja who cares about Konoha even the slightest bit, you'll come outside!" Tala groaned, rushed her sister out of the room, and got dressed, all while grumbling to herself.

When she got outside, her eyes widened. Yoili was holding a beautiful kimono. It was navy-blue with some golden patterns on it. The patterns looked like shuriken and Tala immediately fell in love with it. "Whoa," she gasped, one hand going to her mouth. "I thought it was pretty good," said Kiela, who was giggling. "I love you!" Tala cried, hugging both of them to her. "But why at five in the morning?"

"Well, the shop opened at four, and I was so excited after I bought it I couldn't wait to show you!" Yoili said, holding out the kimono. "I got one for myself, too." Kiela pouted. "Why didn't I get one?" The blond smiled down at the thirteen-year-old. "Because you're too young to be out that late."

Tala laughed at her sister's expression. "Heck, I had to beg your parents to-" Yoili cut herself off and they stood there in silence before Tala said, "Thank you. I really ought to get some sleep, though."

Kiela wrapped her arms around the woman's waist to give her a hug and they headed off in their separate directions. Tala only had to go back inside and hang up her new kimono before returning to bed.

As she closed her eyes for the second time, she wondered why she needed such a beautiful kimono just for the festival. Of course, the answer would've been obvious if she had kept her eyes open a little longer.

. . .

I hope you know why...

He's an awesome, under-loved, brown-haired package named Yamato/Tenzo. :3

I'm becoming one of his fangirls...

~Who I'm a Fangirl Of~

•Sai (LOVE him!)

•Yamato (Look up above lol.)

•Naruto (Fuzzy blond hair... Sooooo adorable.)

Review!


	4. PETITION

PETITION

Greetings to the fine folk that moderate our site.

Myself, along with many, have been writing and posting on your fine site for years now, some of the better examples of up and coming writers out there are now suddenly finding some of the stories we've come to love at risk of being removed without the chance to even rectify our errors.

For some, that means the permanent loss of a story. There are those out there that are never able to recover a story in its original form, this is something I find to be almost worthy of a legal action, as while we cannot claim ownership of a character, the stories are OURS and simply destroying them is something that is inexcusable. I myself have lost three stories, because the SUMMARIES (not the actual stories) were not rated G… I wasn't even aware summaries could be rated, nor need to be G if the story itself was rated M.

It's quite easy to simply add an MA rating, additional filters or even a simple requirement for a free membership to read the stories presented here, and would cut down on hateful anonymous reviews and posts at the same time, so I have to question as to why such a thing, in all this time, simply wasn't added. On that note, readers, please consider signing this petition: www(dot)ipetitions(dot)com/petition/lemons-for-fanfiction/

If you're worried about falsification of a registration then have an appropriate disclaimer and then there can be no dispute, you took your steps and the PARENTS didn't monitor their children, if that is even your concern. If it is more of a personal view or desire then please at least let people know and give them a chance to remove a story that you and yours find offensive, most people on the site are actually rather cordial when it comes to such requests.

While I cannot say for sure if this letter will even reach those that may be willing to listen, of if it's more akin to a wide spectrum purge in preparation for something bigger, please understand that you are going to be losing a LARGE number of your writers, and thus your income from a lack of readers if there is not some level of action taken to help with this situation.

For those that may agree with this, please feel free to sign on and send this to the support server, maybe we can get some movement on this.

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If you could do what some other authors have done and post this petition as a temporary new chapter on some of your stories to help spreed the word? It would help a lot.


	5. The Festival

A She-Wolf in Konoha

Chapter four

I know, right? Tala never gets flustered! Unless Yamato's in the mix... Lol joking! But seriously, enjoy this chappie 'cause I rewrote it 'cause it was H-O-Rrible. (I could've kept that up but I'm too lazy.)

But seriously, enjoy!

And thanks for the cover idea!

~The Festival~

"Excuse me?"

"Well, I just thought that it'd be a good idea!"

Yamato stared at Kakashi. "Since when is getting myself pounded a good idea?" he asked, shaking his head. "Tala would love it if you did!" Yamato blinked.

"Got pounded?"

"No! If you asked her to the dance! She'd only like if you got pounded if she was doing it herself..."

It took the brown-haired man a little bit to understand that. "Uh... no... I..." That's when Tala appeared around the corner, eyebrow raised. Kakashi said a bad word and Yamato turned. "So this is what men talk about when no one's around," she said, looking at Yamato. It was his turn to say a bad word.

Kakashi said, "Well, we weren't suggesting-" She raised a hand. "See you there. And, Yamato?" He had to fight off the urge to gulp as he asked, "Yes?" Tala smiled. "I hope to see you there. And you'd better show up!" The men stood there in surprise as she walked away until Kakashi said, "See? Told you that she liked you."

Even though he'd never admit it, Yamato liked that news very much.

. . .

Tala grumbled to herself. "Dammit! When I find Yoili, I'm going to fricking kill her." The woman had taken her shopping for make up (which she didn't even wear) and to get their hair done for the festival. Bored, she made her way to the book shop and browsed the section for romance plays. As she pulled one out to look at it, someone caught her eye. Yamato was purposely making his way to the architecture section. She put the play away and followed him.

She found him looking at the books, mumbling to himself. "You know," Tala said, making him jump. "The Romans created some of the best architecture known, like the Colosseum." Yamato continued. "They flooded it once to re-enact a naval battle."

She frowned. "I didn't know that." He chuckled and replied, "I know a bunch of stuff nobody cares about. Architecture is my hobby." Tala grinned and said, "Mine is acting. I really want to be a professional, but those dreams are just too unrealistic." Yamato raised an eyebrow.

"Not exactly."

"Name three people you know who have followed their dreams all the way through."

"..."

"See?"

He chuckled again, only this time it lacked humor. Suddenly, the woman said, "You know what we should do? We ought to get some ice cream!" He was then led out of the bookstore and to an ice cream shop not far away. "This place is awesome!"

"How many times have you been here?" Yamato asked, sticking his hands in his pockets to find something to do. "Never. But I've wanted to come here for a long time," she replied with a bright smile. He found himself smilingback as they settled into the first comfortable silence between them.

They ordered their ice cream comes and went outside, licking the sweet dessert. Yamato looked at his cone after awhile and muttered, "What is this white stuff?" Tala looked over with an amused smile. "You don't know what the white stuff is? Jeez." He blinked before shaking his head and laughing. The woman laughed with him as they paused in their walking for a moment.

"What was so funny?" she asked when they stopped, wiping a tear from her eye. "Well, I haven't had much to laugh about recently. I guess I just took that chance," he replied, smiling down at her. She found herself smiling back before suddenly straightening up. "What is it?" Yamato asked before a blond blur tackled Tala from behind.

Yamato almost used his wood-style, but then Tala shouted, "Yoili! What are you doing here?" Yoili popped up, shaking her blond curls. "I'm trying to find you! What're you-" She cut herself off as she saw Yamato. "Oooooh," she said, "I'm sorry to interrupt your... Date." The ruby-eyed woman started to protest when Yamato cut in smoothly.

"Yes, well, it seems that my date and I must be going. Goodbye, Yoili."

Then he held out his hand to Tala, who slowly let her hand slide into his. The man pulled her to her feet with ease and promptly whispered in her ear, "Just go along with it." Wondering if she should trust him, she followed him with a half-hearted wave at her cousin. "Yamato," she muttered, "What are you doing?" He glanced behind him before letting her hand go.

"Well, I don't think you wanted to go and get all... What's the word?"

"Gussied?"

"... Gussied up."

Tala sniggered and he cast his gaze upon her. "What?" She looked up, a cheerful smile brightening her face. "You said gussied." She giggled again before saying, "Bye-bye now. I've gotta go. There's someone I want to impress at the festival tonight." As Tala leapt up and enthusiastically started prancing off, Yamato called, "He's a lucky man!"

"I'm glad you feel that way!"

"... Heh..."

. . .

"See? Very pretty."

Tala had to admit, Yoili could do things with hair that she could only dream about. It was now up in a braid, but she had brought over a spray that made hair glitter and the woman loved the effect. "Now you'll be stunning. You were always pretty before, but now look at you," Yoili complemented.

"Yeah. C'mon, we're running late."

The cousins left, chatting and laughing until they reached the festival. Yamato was talking to someone standing near the entrance and Kakashi was reading his ever-present Icha-Icha Paradise. The silver-haired man looked over the book at them and said, "He's been waiting here loyally for you for the last ten minutes."

Yamato blushed and Tala thought, "Awwww, he looks so cute when he blushes.' He cleared his throat and said, "Well, you two look beaut- nice tonight." The ruby-eyed woman said to him, "Flattery gets you nowhere." Yamato glanced at Yoili. "Do I flatter? Does she not look nice tonight?" The blond giggled. "He's right."

Tala found herself blushing as she wiped some of her loose hair behind her ear. "Alright. Let's go to the festival. Naruto's probably already trying to shovel as much ramen down his throat as possible," Kakashi said, shutting his book and disappearing into the crowd. Yoili gave Tala a firm push in Yamato's direction, making her stumble into him.

He smiled as she pulled herself back together, the blush flaming to her ears. 'She's gonna get it,' Tala thought angrily as Yoili sauntered off after Kakashi. "Shall we?" Yamato asked, holding out his arm. "We shall," replied Tala, linking their arms together. As they made their way through the crowds, they began talking again.

It was around midnight when Yamato announced that he was going to get a drink. He invited Tala along, but she reminded him that she didn't like drinking. After he left, she found a table and sat down, contently resting her head on her hands. 'I wonder why he's different... I mean, I don't usually trust others.'

That's when she felt lips on her jaw. Her red eyes flew open and she tried to jump away, but the man held tight. She pushed him away and raised a fist before realizing who she was staring at.

"Hello, Tala," said Hinkoro. "Long time no see."

. . .

Hahaha! I'll bet you thought it was Yamato! NUP!

Yeah, Hinkoro's back... The jerk...

And now he'll make the relationship harder. Maybe it won't end up YamatoxTala anyway...

Tala: WHAT?

Just kidding...

Tala: Thank goodness! I'm NOT going with some snotty, good-for-nothing pretty boy.

Hinkoro: Hey! :(

Ugh... Review...

Another note-

This chapter was quite horrid, but necessary.

Second another note-

Some songs that best describe this fic-

• 'Lights' by Ellie Goulding... It really reflects on Tala, I think. It fits so well it's scary.

• 'Someday' by Rob Thomas... No pun intended! (Because the fic I based this off of is called Someday.) That's not the reason! It just really describes the relationship between Tala and Yamato.

Yup review! Again...


	6. Almost a Kiss

A She-Wolf in Konoha

Chapter Five

WE GET TO SEE DRUNK TALA IN THIS CHAPTER! DRUNK TALA MAKE THINGS HILARIOUS! Tee hee!

~Almost a Kiss~

Tala stared at the gorgeous man before her with wide eyes as he said, "We had a lot to catch up on." That's when Tala told him, "I have nothing to say to you." Hinkoro smiled as he walked towards her and wrapped two strong arms around her waist and locked lips with her. She pushed him back and did some hand signals. "Earth style: Dancing Wolf jutsu!" she said.

An earth wolf rose from the ground and began running around Hinkoro, wrapping him in a dirt bind. People were gathered around them now, some trying to calm Tala down and some trying to free the struggling man. Eventually, she turned and left, pushing her way into a bar.

As she settled down at one of the booths, she snapped, "A bottle of sake!" There was a surprised mutter of, "Tala?" She glanced out of the corner of her eye and bit back a groan. "Leave me alone, Yamato." He reached out and touched her wrist. "Tala, tell me what's wrong," he said. She didn't attempt to evade his touch but didn't answer him either.

Yamato looked down at his drink and switched his order to water as he watched the Kunoichi chug down the sake. 'It's going to be a long night.'

. . .

"Do you re- hic- alize what I've been through?"

"No, Tala."

She glared at him, a drunk blush on her cheeks. "I mean, he gets me pregnant and leaves? The bastard!" She waved her hands around before leaning towards Yamato. "It's alright, though. I like you. You're nice. And pretty." He sighed again. She had kept this up for the last fifteen minutes. "You don't believe me?" she shrieked before promptly setting herself down in his lap.

"Oh, jeez..."

She began patting his cheeks while chorusing, "Pretty boy, pretty boy, pretty boy!" He took her wrists and tried to move her off his lap, but she wouldn't budge. "Well, Tenzo, that didn't take long," said Kakashi. "What?" he groaned as the Jounin sat down next to him.

"Kakashi!"

"Hello, Tala."

She threw herself at him and he didn't try to pry her off. "You're pretty, too!" The man chuckled. "I'm flattered." Then the woman sat up and wrapped her arms around the man's neck, successfully pushing his face against her neck. He was blushing beat red. "I'm with Yamato, though. You can't have him. MINE!" Tala shouted with a happy grin.

"Yeah. Really good job, Tenzo."

"Sempai! This is serious! She won't get off!"

The woman surveyed him before bursting into loud tears. "You don't like me?" Yamato glared at Kakashi. "Now look what you did." To Tala, he said, "Of course I like you. It's just-"

"You think I'm fat!"

"What- no! I-"

Kakashi said, "Well, taking off a few pounds wouldn't hurt." She continued to cry as she got off of Yamato's lap and went outside. "What was that?" he yelped, looking at the silver-haired shinobi. "Go comfort her. Then she'll be grateful and you'll get her in bed."

"I don't want her in bed! I want her to stop crying!"

With that, he got up and left. Tala was still outside, crying into her hands. "Tala, he didn't mean that. He just has a stupid plan. C'mon, I'll take you home," he said, reaching out to her. She shifted away and bumped into one of the people. "Sorry," Yamato apologized while reaching out to the tipsy kunoichi.

"Lemme go," she muttered, prying his hands from her. "Please, Tala, let's just take you home and let you get some sleep," Yamato said, more desperate now as he took her arm. She kicked at him, crying, "Lemme go! Lemme go! I'm not going to!" He realized she thought he was Hinkoro.

"Tala, it's me, Yamato. I'm not Hinkoro."

She stopped struggling for a moment before muttering, "I never said his name. How do you know his name?" Yamato leaned back, sighed, and said, "Kakashi told me about what happened. I am so sorry, Tala." She burst into tears and brief into his broad chest, sniffling every so often. "I-I can't b-believe that-"

"Shh," Yamato shushed her, pulling her to her feet. He wrapped an arm around her waist and they made their way to her apartment, managing to not bump into too many people. When they got there, he lay her down on the bed. She hadn't spoken since they had left the festival, which kind of worried Yamato.

"Are you alright here, Tala?"

She nodded and he went to get her some water. When he came back with the glass in his hand, she looked like she'd already fallen asleep. 'Well then,' thought Yamato as he turned to leave. As soon as he faced away, there was soft skin on his hand. "Wait..."

Tala had reached out and touched his hand. "Can you stay here? At least until I fall asleep?" she asked, sliding her fingers around the back of his hand gently. He shuddered because her touch sent tiny sparks of electricity through him. He turned around and sat on the edge of the bed. "I'll stay a little longer," he assured her.

Tala looked at him closely before pulling him onto the bed beside her. "What are you doing?" he yelped. "I want to see if I can trust you. I can, right?" He was about to answer, but she had already fallen asleep beside him.

'Yeah,' he decided, pulling her against him slowly. 'I think you can.' Pretty soon, he rested his cheek against her soft hair and fell asleep just as soundly as the fireworkds from the festival began exploding in the sky.

Yoili, at this time, was making her way to Kakashi. "I think it worked!" she cheered, throwing her arms up happily. "Good," Kakashi said as the blond did a little happy dance. "Oh, and one more thing," she said before hitting him over the head. "That was for calling my cousin fat!"

"It was part of the plan!" Kakashi protested, holding his head.

She laughed and he smiled as another idea came to his head. "You could also loose a few pounds." Yoili turned to him. "I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

. . .

Tala woke up very warm. Sunlight was hitting her face and she snuggled deeper into her blankets, trying to get more sleep. Only when the blankets move did she open her eyes and realized that the blankets were a man. Tala slammed against the wall and screamed, successfully waking Yamato up.

"Holy crap! What the hell are you doing in my house?"

"You were drunk last night, and-"

She let him have it across the face. Yamato could only blink in surprise because that had actually hurt. "I can't believe you would take advantage of me like that! After I trusted you!" The man realized what she thought and quickly said, "I didn't do anything! I assure you, you and I both remained fully clothed all night."

She looked down at herself and back at him before blushing and scratching the back of her head in embarrassment. "You okay?" he asked, not reaching out to her quite yet. "Yeah. Sorry about hitting you." Yamato chuckled. "It's fine." Tala plopped down on the floor next to him and touched his still red cheek. He blushed and she giggled.

"You look cute when you blush."

"Um, what?"

"I said that you look cute when you blush."

That simply caused more of the red to flame across his face, but suddenly he didn't care. She was slowly leaning forward, turning her head to the side. He found himself aching to kiss her, to see what her lips against his felt like. But he caught himself and leaned back. "Let's go make breakfast," he muttered, standing up. Tala had to hide the disappointment she felt as she followed him.

With a sigh, Yamato wondered what had made him stop. She looked disheartened, which made him kind of mad at himself. Tala sat down as he rummaged the cupboards. "Do you have anything to eat?" he asked eventually. "Nope. I usually go out," she replied, resting her head on he hands. He sighed as he looked down at himself. "Go home and get dressed," Tala told him, waving her hand around.

He raised his eyebrows but left. Tala got ready and dressed for the day before hopping out the window. She was about to head to her usual fruit stand, but someone caught her wrist painfully hard. She turned to Hinkoro, who wore a mischievous smile. "Go away," she muttered, feeling a headache come on. "But Tala," he purred. "You've grown into such a lovely woman."

"Screw off!"

She pushed him away and two other people came up beside her. "Is there a problem?" Kakashi asked, looking up at Hinkoro. "Kakashi. Long time no see. And no, I just want to talk to Tala," he said. The other person was Yamato. "I don't think so," he said, taking Tala's hand in his. She didn't shy away; there wasn't an urge to.

He glared at Yamato and a female voice said, "Just chill!" Then there was a bucket over his head and he was sopping wet. Yoili grabbed Tala's hand and pulled her away at a run. As a result, the brown-haired man was dragged away and Kakashi was following more slowly. "Damn you!" Hinkoro shouted, baby blues blazing.

When they stopped running, both of the woman wee laughing. Yamato was still bewildered as Kakashi walked up. "What happened?" he asked, staring at the two laughing women. "Yoili snuck up on Hinkoro and dumped a bucket of ice cold water all over him," Kakashi said. Yoili gave them the peace sign, still giggling.

"Oh, damn," said Tala. "Now I won't be able to get breakfast." Kakashi gave Yamato a shove and he stumbled to her side, nearly falling into her. Yoili went to Kakashi's side and elbowed him. "Sometimes relationships need a little push," he murmured into her ear. She laughed as Yamato, scratching the back of his head, asked Tala if she wanted some pancakes. "This one definitely does."

. . .

As they settled down with their food, Tala seemed distracted. "What's wrong?" Yamato asked her. "You don't like pancakes?" She shook her head. "It's just that... Hinkoro's back. I don't even know where he's been," she muttered, leaning on her elbows. The man didn't know what to say, so he simply said nothing.

"I've missed Yoili. I remember being so sad when she went away."

"How old were you?"

"Eleven. She was my best friend."

"Harsh."

She laughed and looked at him, her eyes sparkling. "You know something, Yamato? I think you're the first guy I've really spoken to since the incident." He smiled at her. "I'm glad. It makes me special." She laughed again. "In a good or bad way?"

"... Now that you put it that way, I'm not sure."

"Wait... Was that a joke?"

He shrugged. "Perhaps it was." She laughed and asked, "Seriously, Lumberjack, did you just make a funny?" They talked and laughed all through the rest of the meal until Tala said quietly, "My father used to make us pancakes every Monday morning. 'It's a good day to start the week,' he'd say."

"Tala," Yamato said, "you don't have to-" She interrupted. "Do you think Kakashi knows that I didn't mean it? When I told him that it was his fault, she explained. He rested a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "I'm sure he knows.". There was a small smile from her as she leaned forward eagerly. He closed his eyes and there was a bit of laughter.

"You have to watch yourself around Tala."

Yamato opened his eyes to see Hinkoro sittin in a booth next to them, a group of fangirls around him. Tala glared at him and snapped, "Shut up, Hinkoro." He was instead looking at the man, smiling menacingly. There was obviously a plan for revenge.

"That little whore will being you down quicker than you can blink."

. . .

DUN DUN DDUUUUUUNNNNNNNN!

Oh no he di-en't!

So let's see... Will Yamato believe him and decide to hate Tala or will there be an awesome smackdown during which Hinkoro gets owned? Review and I'll be tempted to post another chapter...


	7. Working

A She-Wolf in Konoha

Chapter six

Short chapter, but I like it! It shows some of Tala's fighting style! XD

~Working~

"Excuse me," Yamato said coldly, "but I think that I can make my own decisions." Hinkoro's gaze snapped to Tala and back to meet Yamato's eyes. "Not around Tala. She only likes men who give it to her the first night. Why else would she have broken up with me?"

Yamato took one look at Tala and was instantly overwhelmed with rage. She was looking from him to the man sitting across from him, her face pale and looking as if she was going to cry. "See," Yamato told him, "everyone has a right to their opinion. It's just that yours is stupid."

Tala gaped at him, open-mouthed and looking partially relieved. Hinkoro looked shocked, as did all of the girls. Then he stood up and left, taking the chatter group with him. "He's not gonna let that go," Tala told him with a raised eyebrow.

"I know. I'll just have to kick his ass if he crosses me."

She hugged him and gave him several kisses on the cheek, making him blush. "Let's go! I wanna see what Yoili's up to!" she shouted, taking his hand and dragging him out the restaurant. He threw the money on the table before jogging after her.

Yoili was busy with her new job, working for Ichiraku's. "I'm sorry, Tala, but I just can't today. I have to deliver ten more of these," the blond apologized as she stumbled over the load she was carrying. "Ahhhhh," Tala pouted, looking at Yamato. He shrugged and a female voice shouted, "YOU TWO!" They turned in unison to see Tsunade, vein throbbing on her forehead.

"'Sup," Tala greeted. "Don't use that informal tone with me! I've been looking all over for you two! You just can't stay in one place!" She continued to storm at them the whole way back to her office. Yamato looked absolutely terrified and Tala was seriously wondering if she was going to get hurt. "Anyway, I have a duel mission for you two. You're going to deliver these scrolls to some Suna shinobi on the border. They're very important, and rogues will probably attack, but I think you two can handle it."

"So... Why us two?" Yamato asked.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "What I'm hearing is that you don't want to go on this mission." He blinked and stammered, "N-No! I never said that!" Tala giggled as Tsunade chuckled and said, "Because you two are spending more time together. It'd be a shame to see you separated for a mission, wouldn't it? Plus, I want to see how you work together."

She ended that with a wink and Tala blushed, avoiding Yamato's shocked gaze and thinking, 'Damn you, Kakashi.' They got the scrolls and went to pack. "We have to leave by noon... Meet you there in half an hour?" the man asked her. "Definitely," she said, giving him a peace sign before sprinting off.

. . .

"Tala, one o'clock!"

She gasped and sliced a kunai at the rogue that was there. It caught him in the side. "I can't believe," she said, popping up beside Yamato, "that they ambush us right before we set up camp!" He didn't reply as a sword swung at their heads. She scowled and did a few hand signs. "Earth style: Dancing Wolf jutsu!"

The earth wolf trotted around them, binding the rogues to each other. "Thanks," Yamato told her. Tala stuck her tongue out at them childishly. "See? We weren't gonna let you get the scrolls!" The man face-palmed beside her and the leader spat, "You weren't?" In an instant, Yamato checked Tala's bag, where the scrolls were supposed to be.

"Tala!"

"Damn!"

She bit her thumb and summoned a large black wolf. Yamato stumbled back, gawking at the huge animal as it rumbled, "Tala. What is it?" She smiled at the wood-user before replying, "A rogue got some scrolls for Konoha. Please catch up to him, Aatu?" He growled but took off.

"C'mon. When he finds him, we'd better be there to fight."

Yamato nodded and pretty soon they were hurrying through the trees. He gave a signal and they split up. 'Alright. We all good, we got this...' Tala was interrupted by Aatu's urgent howl. She took of towards the lonely sound and found him with one paw holding the rogue down. "Thanks. Now you may go," she said and he poofed away.

She checked the smashed body and blinked as she realized it was a woman. "Hm. Sorry, girl. Make it up to you another time," Tala offered before reaching into the rogue's bag...

... To pull out a handful of explosive tags.

Tala's red eyes widened and she quickly leapt back into the trees.

**BOOM!**

Birds flew away and tree branches fell. Tala's right arm was badly burned and she clutched it, teeth gritted. "Awwww. I wanted you to die," said a female voice. The blond leader of the rogues leapt from the trees. "Ha-ha," Tala replied angrily.

"Oh, you're cute. Well, boo. Too bad you're going to die." She smiled ruefully, taking another kunai with an explosive tag on it. "Dance, pretty girl." Tala swore and leapt out of the way as another explosion destroyed the silence of the forest. "You're pretty good. That was an excellent clone. It even fooled Aatu's nose," the raven-haired kunoichi called from the tree branches.

"That's my specialty," came a laugh from her right. She swore again as a kunai got her right arm. As the explosion went off, she turned into a log and the real one appeared in the clearing. "Dammit," the rogue said. "Tricky one you are."

Tala did a little bow. "That's my specialty." The other kunoichi scowled and threw a couple of normal shuriken. "Finally," the ruby-eyed woman grumbled, attempting to do her Dancing Wolf jutsu again. "Nuh-uh-uh," chided blondy. 'So she wants to play,' thought Tala with a smirk.

"Swamped Howls jutsu."

The rogue froze, her beautiful grey eyes widening as the genjutsu took place. "Sorry," Tala told her as she grabbed the strap of her bag. That's when the woman hit the back of her head with the hilt of a tanto. Tala stumbled forward, dazed. The rogue kicked her knees and pushed her roughly in a river's direction. The Konoha kunoichi only had enough time to reach out and grab the bag.

The strap snapped and she fell into the river with it clenched in her hands. Water filled her lungs as she faded into blackness.

. . .

Decent enough fight scene, I believe.

Uh oh, what's gonna happen now?

Ugh... Nothing witty to say... My brother's a cumquat...

Review...

Wow...


	8. A Keeper

A She-Wolf in Konoha

Chapter seven

Here's the rest of the mission!

~A Keeper~

"Tala!" Yamato shouted, not bothering to stop the rogue from disappearing. She didn't have the scrolls, Tala did, and she hadn't resurfaced. "Damn," he snarled before diving in. She was in there, the last of the air bubbles floating from her lips. A foggy red was coming up from the back of her head and he grabbed her and the bag before pulling them both up.

When they hit the air, Yamato gulped for air, but Tala didn't, just lay in his arms limply. As fast as he could, he tugged her onshore. She still hadn't taken a breath, so he placed his lips on on hers and breathed before pumping her chest. After repeating it, she opened her eyes and coughed up water.

"Y-Y-Yamato..."

"Tala! Thank goodness," he said, pulling her into an embrace. She curled into him, shivering. "Did the rogue get the scrolls?" the woman asked, still shaking. He took the bag and checked inside. The scrolls were there, sopping wet but other than that, unharmed. "No. You did well."

"Good. Good."

Tala was still shivering, and Yamato thought about what to do. Their possessions were still back there, along with their tents. The rogues would be waiting, and he wouldn't be able to protect Tala. "C'mon," he said, picking her up.

She looked at him. "Thank you." He chuckled and brushed his lips against her forehead. "I wasn't about to let my girlfriend sink," Yamato assured her. Tala stared at him before replying, "Then I'm not about to let my boyfriend do everything by himself." They argued back and forth until he lit a fire.

"Shut up. You need to get warm, I don't."

She sneered at him and said sarcastically, "Sweetie."

He replied just as sarcastically, "Honey."

Their gazes clashed and suddenly Yamato said, "You are too much. What am I going to do with you?" Tala crossed her arms and said, "Nothing. But you're stuck with me." He sighed and shook his head.

"I wish I wasn't."

She burst out laughing, clutching her stomach before laying down on her side. "Oooo, you're leaving?" she pouted, her face illuminated in the firelight. Yamato glanced at her before sighing and scratching the back of his head. "Maybe I'll stay a little bit longer." She squealed as he lay down beside her, closest to the edge of the clearing.

"You had me worried," he admitted. Tala tried to look at him, but froze as his hand rested on her hip. "I thought you'd be gone when I got to you." She felt herself relax at his touch and soon fell asleep. He watched her for a moment before sighing and pulling her completely against him completely. "Goodnight," he whispered against her hair before closing his eyes.

. . .

"Thanks," said one of the Suna ninja, accepting the bag the scrolls were in. "We were attacked by rogues, and they fell into a river. Sorry about that," Yamato apologized, arm still firmly around Tala's waist. "No problem. And send me an invitation to the wedding," he joked, making Tala blush and try to pull away.

The man wouldn't let her go until they got some more supplies. "Now I wish you weren't stuck with me," she said, pulling at his firmly clamped fingers. "You wish you were closer," he replied. She punched his side, but he still didn't let her go. They got their supplies and he finally let his grip relax.

"You're mean," she complained, glaring at him. "I know," he chuckled back. Suddenly, Tala froze where she stood, eyes fixed on something in the distance."What?" he asked seriously.

In one fluid movement, she elbowed him in the ribs and took off, laughing. Yamato grunted, rubbing his side and watching as she turned back to him, sticking her tongue out. Then he laughed, shaking his head. 'She's more trouble than Naruto.'

. . .

They made it back with no more disturbances. Tsunade didn't seem worried about how wet the scrolls were. She seemed more interested in the rogues. "The woman was blond with grey eyes. She was pretty," Tala offered lamely when Tsunade asked for a description.

The woman raised an eyebrow but said nothing else. "Do you... Know who it is, M'lady?" Yamato asked. "Well, I only got a vague description," she said, sending a look at Tala, "but I have a feeling." That's when the ruby-gazed woman said, "Wait! Aatu says she smells like blood and the forest." Tsunade put he head in her hands. "Why would I want to know that? Do you believe that if we find her, we'll lean forward and take a big whiff?"

She didn't reply and Tsunade sighed, "Dismissed." As they left, Yamato chuckled as he took her hand. "Tsunade was joking," he assured her. "I know," she replied quietly. Yamato noticed her suddenly ill mood and asked, "What's wrong?" She gazed at him. "I wish that I could've stopped her. She even let the rest of them go."

He rubbed her arm reassuringly. "We all make mistakes. It's alright." Tala leaned against him, closing her eyes happily. "Aww, look Kakashi! They're happy together," said a familiar voice. Tala's eyes flashed open.

Yoili stood there, Kakashi beside her. The blond turned around and took off as Tala stared at her. A minute later, the raven-haired woman was after her, yelling at the top of her lungs. Yamato rubbed his temple, one eyebrow raised. "She's a keeper," Kakashi told him.

"At least I'll find something to keep me interested."

Kakashi laughed, shaking his head. "With Tala, I would think so."

. . .

Haha!

I soooo hyper!

OMVG I need to update my DeviantArt!

Check it out!

IT's up, botskey!


	9. Goodnight

A She-Wolf in Konoha

Chapter eight

Yep, Yoili and Tala are kinda like sisters, since Tala can't really lay everything on Keila. Hm. We'll have to see where this chapter goes.

~Goodnight~

Kiela was weirded out.

Her sister, usually so cool and and collected, was now dreamy and actually happy. She had actually knocked on the door to their parent's house instead of waiting for Kiela to come out and notice her. The thirteen-year-old was relieved she had answered the door instead of one of the adults.

Now Tala stood there, saying that Kiela was going to go meet someone. Kiela gulped, not knowing whether this was good or bad. But she took her sister's hand and allowed her to lead her through Konoha.

"Yamato!" Tala called when she saw a brown-haired man. He turned, a smile coming across his face. "Hello, Tala. And you're Kiela," he added to the girl, who shyly nodded. She vaguely remembered him from Ichiraku's. "She looks just like you."

"Only she has less chest."

"Not that there's much on you."

She hit him and he chuckled. Kiela was now wondering, 'What the fudge is going on?' Last she checked, Tala hated all men. Now she was joking around with this guy like they were old friends.

But by the time she had formally introduced the two, Kiela found that the guy was alright. He definitely wasn't mean. Just the opposite, even. He bought them ice-cream. She licked at her dessert as they walked, listening to the adult's conversation until a loud, boisterous voice announced, "CAPTAIN YAMATO! YOU MISSED TRAINING!"

"Damn," the man muttered. A blond boy was running up, followed by an annoyed-looking pink-haired girl and a blank-faced pale boy. Kiela hid shyly behind Tala as they walked up. "You guys, I'm sorry. I lost track of time," he apologized. The blond's gaze hit Tala. "Ah. I see," he chortled.

"Uhm, Naruto, Sakura, Sai, this is Tala."

"You must be Kakashi's br- team," she said, holding her hand out to Naruto. He didn't take it and the Sakura said, annoyed, "Naruto, let's just go." Tala raised an eyebrow at him. "Y'know, you might want to shake hands first."

"Why?"

"Because... you know what wolves do? They get what they want. First they circle you, cornering you as they work together like a team. You feel terror running through your veins as they close in, but terror is heavy; you can't move, because it's weighing you down. Then, the biggest wolf gives a secret signal, and you know what happens then?"

Naruto gulped before asking, "What?" Tala jumped right in front of him. "They get you!" The boy let out a yell, slamming right into Sai and knocking them both down. Kiela suppressed a giggle as Naruto groaned, "Captain Yamato, your girlfriend's as scary as you!"

Tala burst into laughter, holding her side. When she caught her breath, Naruto and Sai were getting up. Sakura was laughing as she watched her male teammates trip over each other's limbs. Kiela was also giggling, still hiding behind her sister's legs. Suddenly, there was a shout of, "Kiela!"

They turned to see a black-haired woman with Kiela's golden eyes. "M-Mom," she said quietly. Tala stiffened as their gazes clashed and hissed through her teeth, "Yamato... Go to Ichiraku's. I'll meet you there." He led his team away, glancing back every so often. "Kiela, where've you been? We were so worried," said the woman, grabbing her thirteen-year-old's hand.

She looked at Tala and said quietly, "Tala." She replied icily, "Mother." The tension was so thick you could practically throw a kunai into it. Then Tala turned and said, "I've got to go."

"I hope it's not a date."

She froze and hissed, "What do you care?"

Then she was running. She went right past Team Seven, and Yamato went after her, leaving three very confused teens behind. She turned into an alleyway and beat her fists against the wall, sobbing. Yamato reached out and touched her back. "Tala..." She moved away from him and he waited. "I'm sorry."

She didn't reply to his apology. Yamato reached out for her again, but that's when she hissed, "No! Just go away!" His hand snapped back and his eyes saddened. "I... Alright. I'll see you later," he murmured before turning. Tala sank down the wall and cried into her hands again, wondering why her mother chose to show up right then. It brought back so many painful memories... All of the arguments, Hinkoro, the disowning...

Now, she was feeling even worse. She had snapped on the one person who had offered to help her. She sat there in that alley before a familiar presence hit the air. "Kakashi, I don't want to speak."

"Then listen. Tenzo is worried about you."

"I don't know who Tenzo is."

He said, "Yamato, I mean. He's really worried about you. Said he dropped by your place and you weren't home." Tala felt worse now. "Kakashi, please... I just want to be left alone..." He fell silent, but didn't leave. "Damn it! Didn't you hear me? Go away!"

"Yoili's worried, too."

"Oh, so now you two are all buddy-buddy," she snapped.

Tala stood and walked past him. "And tell Yamato, or Tenzo, or whatever his name is, that he can stop his worrying. It doesn't help anything." The copy-nin looked at her. "I'll let him know."

. . .

Yamato was currently in a tree, thinking about one woman. Tala was on his mind a lot lately. She was starting to become something like an addiction. 'An addiction with an attitude,' he thought. She was in pain, and all he wanted to do was just... Help.

With a sigh, he dropped out of the tree and headed off towards home. Kakashi was waiting outside. "Sempai, is she...?" The silver-haired shinobi sighed. "She said to stop your worrying." He couldn't find any words after that. He simply went up to his apartment.

Yamato was actually pretty tired as he collapsed on the bed. There was a muffled, "Ow!" He leapt out of the bed and yelped, "Tala, what're you doing here?" She laughed and pulled him back into the bed. "That wasn't very romantic," she chided, taking off his forehead protector. "How'd you get in?" Yamato asked, unable to stop his blush. "Window," she yawned.

There was a bit of silence before she apologized. "I was just hurt. I shouldn't have done that." He shushed her before leaning down. "It's fine." Her heart was beating fast even as he backed off. He smiled as she placed a hand to her chest, attempting to slow it down.

He took her hand and placed it over his heart, which was beating just as loudly and rapidly. Then he kissed her fingers. She took back her hand and turned away, closing her eyes. "Goodnight," he told her, giving her a kiss on the cheek. She shivered, feeling tiny sparks of electricity run through her.

"... Goodnight."

. . .

Awwww.

God... 3:36 A.M...

I'm tired...

Well... If this chapter sucks don't blame me...

Review...


	10. Lights

A She-Wolf in Konoha

Chapter nine

Dammit... I'm hungry DX

Okay, so I hope you enjoy this chapter! ^^

I wonder if I have any food... I SHALL FIND SOME.

~Lights~

_"Come home... Come home..."_

_Tala opened her eyes. What was that? A light shined in front of her eyes. "Come home..." She reached for it, but it moved further away. "No," she cried out desperately. She wanted it to come back. She missed it. "Come home," it murmured again. She tried to stand up, but her arms felt like lead. She couldn't move very far._

_The lights put on a familiar voice. "Tala, come home..." Her eyes widened and she said, "Yamato-!"_

"I'm here, Tala, calm down..."

She opened her eyes and they met a pair of black ones. "Are you okay?" he asked. "You were talking and kicking in your sleep." Tala suddenly burst into tears and clung to him, sobbing. "I-I-I had a dream where these lights were telling me to come home, and I couldn't follow them! And then... Then it got your voice a-and... I was just so confused!" Yamato cuddled her to his chest and she sobbed there.

She wasn't sure why she was crying, but Yamato held her even closer. "It was just a dream," he murmured. She wiped her eyes and said, "You wouldn't leave me like that, would you?" He smiled. "No. C'mon." She took his hand and he led her to the kitchen. "I'll cook us something," he murmured, reassuringly patting her shoulder. She nodded, relaxing a little. She still remembered how he had almost kissed her last night.

Watching him with a simply blank gaze, Tala thought about yesterday. 'I just can't understand... Why did I dream of lights, telling me to go home? No... To come home. Home...' She looked at Yamato, who had set waffles down in front of her. "What day is it?" she asked, stretching her stiff muscles. "Wednesday," he replied, drumming his fingers against the table. After awhile, she starting copying him for the heck of it.

He raised an eyebrow and she did the same. An involuntary smile came across his face and he tried to fight it off as she made a smile come across her face slowly. Then he have her the ghoul eyes and she pouted. "No fair! I can't do that!" He chuckled, running a hand through his shaggy brown locks. "It's a gift."

"Just like your being annoying?"

"Ah ah ah! That's developed by hard work."

She laughed at the wood-user's theory before stopping and looking down. "I wonder how Kiela's doing." Yamato sighed, but didn't reply. She looked at him and smiled. "I'll bet she's doing just fine. What should we do today..."

He raised his eyebrows and Tala glared. "Not like that, you perv!" He laughed. "Well, I have a day off. You?" Tala shrugged. "Sure. I mean, I don't have a team, or anything. I think it's a day off." Yamato smiled. "You brought an extra pair of clothes." It wasn't a question, so she simply went back to the bedroom, shut the door, and changed before going back out. "Very pretty," he told her, also having changed. She didn't ask where he kept his clothes.

"I told you, Lumberjack, flattery gets you nowhere."

Yamato watched her as an idea popped into her head. "Would such a noble Sir escort the fair maiden about the kingdom?" she asked while attempting a very wobbly curtsey. Yamato caught on immediately. "Of course, Madam," he replied, kneeling and taking one of her hands before planting a kiss on the back of it. She raised an eyebrow before pulling back and saying, "But what would such a faithful knight require for payment? I could never afford these services!"

"I require no money, but a fair price must indeed be payed."

Tala placed a hand to her forehead in mock despair. "O, Good Knight, why must you taunt me so? State your price; I will deem it fair or unfair!" He bowed again, taking her hand again. "I require nothing," Yamato told her, gauging her reaction, "but a kiss." Her eyes widened and she tensed. 'I trust him... And I most definitely want to...' Her eyes settled on his before she smiled.

"I shall pay your price... If you escort me safely."

He chuckled and took her hand, interlacing their fingers. She stared at their hands resting in each other's and leaned against him, closing her blood red eyes as she started humming. When she opened them again, they were in the middle of a busy street. Someone had called his name.

It was Genma. "Oi, Yamato, are you free?" he asked before catching sight of Tala. More specifically, to his hand, which had moved to rest on her hip. "Well, sorry. I see you're actually busy," he said, smirking. "I'll take care by myself."

"Why," Yamato asked as Genma swung around, "is everyone so surprised?" Tala giggled and replied, "Because you probably can't get a girl." He moved his hand and poked her ribs. She yelped and slammed away from him, successfully ramming into other people. "You jerk," she hissed. "Why did I tell you I was ticklish?"

"I don't know. But I will use it to my advantage," he threatened, reaching to poke her ribs again. She laughed and took off, making him follow her. Tala was still laughing as he chased her into the trees outside the training fields. She was taken down by Yamato, using his wood-style to attach her to a nearby tree. "You cheated!" she said, kicking at him. He waited until she tired herself out before placing both hands on either side of her shoulders.

She shut up pretty quickly. "You still owe me a kiss," he reminded her. "You've not brought me home yet," she whispered back. "I don't think that's required," he murmured, touching his forehead to hers. She wanted to reply, but words escaped her.

"Hey, Tenz-"

Tala opened her eyes as the wood disappeared around her arms. 'Of course,' she thought as Kakashi blinked at them. 'Damn Kakashi had to show up.' Then the silver-haired jounin chuckled and said, "Well... Yoili's going to be happy about this."

His eyes went to Yamato's mortified expression, which had been there since Kakashi had interrupted the kiss, before he disappeared. As he poofed away, Tala realized what he had said. "DAMN YOU, KAKASHI!" she screamed as she ran to the spot where her old friend had been moments before.

. . .

"You're kidding!"

"Nope. He was definitely going to kiss her," Kakashi confirmed. Yoili smacked him over the head. "And you INTERRUPTED?" It was dusk and they were sitting on a park bench. She stifled a giggle before reaching over and trying to grab his book. "Icha Icha?" she asked, one brow raised as she scanned the cover. "Umh," Kakashi said, trying to take it back. "No! I'm-"

They wrestled for it. Of course, the man won. "This book contains material not... Suited for young ladies," he said, promptly sticking it in his pocket. Yoili scowled. "Lemme guess. You'll tell me when I'm older," she said in a high-pitched voice. He chuckled again. "No. Not then, even."

"Hmph!"

Kakashi shook his head as he stood up. "I've got to get going. Or I'll be late for something," he said. "You're already late, aren't you?" she guessed. "Mm," he replied, patting the top of her golden head. "But... I do indeed have a good reason. This time."

. . .

Tala, at this time, had said goodbye to Yamato. She also used his name, Tenzo. He had hissed at her to shut up before bidding a friendly farewell. Tala sighed before her eyes widened as her dream suddenly came to mind. The lights were telling her to go home. She hadn't been home all day.

Her breath hitching, she ran the rest of the way there, expecting something terrible. When she opened the door, she saw the last thing she expected.

. . .

WHY DID IT TAKE ME SO LONG TO WRITE THIS?

Anywhoozle, I had writer's block on this, so I simply put in a cute fluffy chapter. I'm weird lol

:P

Now, REVIEW! :/


	11. Trusting Yamato

**A She-Wolf in Konoha**

Chapter ten

I like cheese. :3

~Trusting Yamato~

Nothing.

Tala yanked the door shut and sat down, crossing her legs and breathing a sigh of relief. She leaned against the door and closed her eyes, thinking, 'God, I'm an idiot. Did I really think there was going to be something wrong?'

Yes. Yes she did.

Laughing at herself, she shook her head and stood up. Once she had gotten ready for bed, she crawled under the covers and curled up.

It didn't occur to her where 'home' could have been.

. . .

"C'mon!" Yoili begged. "It'll be fun!"

"No."

"Pleeeeeeease?!"

"No."

Yoili pouted. "Why not?"

Tala replied, "Because. I'm busy."

"Yamato's out on a mission, Kiela's training, and you've got no social life whatsoever. Just come on this teensy-tiny little mission and I swear you'll have more fun than you are now!"

Tala's eyebrow went up.

"You see, basically we'll be picking herbs in a magical paradise where there's animals singing in the trees and love is in the air!" Yoili cried.

"Now I feel sick," Tala told her truthfully.

"Fine, I over-exaggerated. But please...?"

The tattooed woman let out a groan as she nodded. "Yay! Meet me at the gate in two hours!"

Tala sighed and stood up, thinking, 'Be grateful you don't have lovey-dovey cousins, Keila. They make you do crazy things."

. . .

Prick.

"Ow!"

'DAMN!'

It was official- Tala despised this mission. Her eyes narrowed at the herb and she hissed, "Listen here, you little bastard. I'm picking you for Konoha and you're not getting away."

She lowered her hand, trying to weave her fingers into between the thorns. Holding her breath, she closed her hand...

Prick.

"Ow!"

'SON OF A B-'

"Tala, quit playing and pick it," Yoili said, frowning at her in disapproval. A vein popped out of her forehead.

"I didn't even want this piece of crap mission! You're the one who dragged me along!"

"Now, now. Count to ten."

She growled- yes, growled- at her cousin, who gave a smile back.

They were working on the mission, Yoili making happy comments and humming.

Tala, however, was glaring at the plants in her hands. Her pile was not nearly the size of Yoili's.

Finally, when it was time to turn in, they set out their sleeping bags. Tala turned her back on her cousin, arms crossed.

"Aww. You're having a little fun."

"No."

"Mmhm. It's distracting you from your loneliness from... Yamato."

Tala's gaze widened and she sat up and looked at the blond. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh please. I know you like him. You two almost kissed."

She blushed and looked away. "No...!"

"Yeeeeees!"

Yoili giggled as Tala went completely red, curling up and pulling her sleeping bag over her head. "Nightie-night!"

"Screw off."

With a finale laugh, Yoili closed her eyes and they both drifted off, even though Tala knew her cousin was right.

That didn't make her any happier though.

. . .

When Yamato got back, the third thing he did was open the door using his wood-style to break into her house and replace all of her ice-cream with wood.

Then, knowing should would HAVE to come over and yell at him. He was in his kitchen, waiting, twirling a violet between his fingers. He was a little nervous. Kakashi had told him some surprising news- that he was falling in love with the woman. He'd never felt like this before, and it was kinda scary and good at the same time.

The door banged open and Tala burst in.

"YAMATO! You bastard!"

"What is it, Tala?" he asked, feigning innocence.

"Don't act like you don't know!"

"What?"

A grin appeared. "Gotcha!"

Now Yamato blinked in real confusion now. Wasn't she mad...?

"I'm practicing my acting."

Oh... That explained it.

She sat down and watched him before he turned, looking at the flower. Could he do this? Was she ready? She was still mistrustful...

"Yamato..."

He turned back around and saw with surprise that she was studying him up close. Her expression was hard to read. Then she did something that really surprised him.

She leaned up and kissed him.

He stood there, eyes wide as his lips were smushed to hers. She was about to pull back when he kissed her back forcefully. Her eyes opened and She tensed up as he deepened it, wrapping his arms around her waist.

The kiss was broken as Yamato sensed her discomfort. "Sorry," he mumbled. She shook her head and kissed him again.

This time he reacted quickly, but more gently. She let herself relax into the kiss, trying to feel completely at ease. If it didn't work this time... If he betrayed her trust... Never again.

Yamato, however, pulled back before she did. She gazed at him, ruby eyes searching his gaze. A smile came to his lips and he raised a hand to push a flower into her hair. "Y-Yamato," she whispered, touching the petals.

He took her hand, ready to lead her outside, but she seemed to have different ideas as she led him towards the bedroom. Once the door was closed, they kissed and landed on the bed. He was trying hard to keep his hands to himself.

Tala asked between kisses, "What did you think I was angry for?"

He replied, "The fact that I replaced your ice-cream with wood."

She snorted before her gaze opened.

"You did WHAT to my ice-cream?!"

"You had it coming."

"Sonovabitch, Yamato."

The wood-user hit her promptly on the head with a pillow and she punched him. As he playfully doubled over in mock pain, she tackled him off the bed and they fell on the floor, laughing.

She looked into his eyes and ruffled his shaggy brown locks, eyes shining. "You're such a jerk."

"I know. But you trust me anyway," he replied, kissing her forehead as he picked her up. They curled up on the bed and fell asleep, filled with warmth and happiness.

. . .

And that's ALL that happened, you unlucky perverts you. There was no screaming or yelling or... Rocking.

Just innocence.

And a really cheesy line.

I haven't been writing as much as I should be... So... Yeah.

Sorry. *Hides*


End file.
